Seven years
by SoNWill-x
Summary: I'm rubbish at reviews. Just read it. Chrave.
1. Chapter 1

Raven sat on the hard, blue plastic chair and prepared to wait. For how long she was going to have to wait she did not know, the arrival time was three fifteen but planes were always delayed, and who knew how long it would take for the passengers to get through customs. She glanced at her watch, two fifty five, at least twenty minutes to sit and wait. Still, it would give her a chance to think things through. This was what she wanted, more then anything else in the world this was what she wanted. Her soulmate, her one true love, her woman.

* * *

Raven and Chelsea, Chelsea and Raven. It had been that way longer then either of them could remember. It seemed that there was never a time they wern't best friends, always round each others houses, always on the phone together, always coming up with daft schemes that were bound to get them into trouble. Sure, Eddie was there for a lot of it, sometimes even Raven's brother Corey was a part of it but at the centre of everything was Raven and Chelsea. Chelsea and Raven.

Their parents used to joke about them and the amount of time they spent together;  
"They'll either end up killing each other, or marrying each other"

Well, neither were dead.

It seemed inevitable that one or the other would get together with Eddie, he was, after all, the boy of the group and they loved him to pieces.Then he had his girlfriend Chantelle, he was nuts about her right up until the summer they went off to college. He caught her cheating on him with Chelsea's boyfriend Danny. Both Eddie and Chelsea were completely distraught by the discovery and it took them both a long time to get over it, with the help of Raven of course.

The year they went off to college was a bittersweet one for sure, the girls parted ways with Eddie who was enrolled in Austin University in Texas where the girls had opted to stay in LA. They were messed up at the thought of leaving their favourite guy but also irrepressebly excited about starting a new life together.

They took to college life like ducks to water and it was at a party in their third year that they crossed over a line in their lives and moved their relationship from platonic to romantic.

Raven remembered that moment;

_The room was hot and smoky, everybody seemed to be talking ten times their usual volume just to be heard over the sounds of the music blaring out from all corners, there were so many people about it was standing room only. Raven and Chelsea stood near a wall, leaning against it holding plastic cups full of beer . They didn't talk, there didn't seem to be any point, they couldn't have heard anything anyway. They just seemed to watch what was going on around them, occasionally nodding hello to a friend or face they recognised but mostly they were content to be in each others company, the way they always were. Chelsea turned her head towards Raven, about to say something. Raven noticed for the first time how enticing her friends lips were, sort of full and plump, like an orange segment. She wondered what they would taste like, oranges perhaps? Her eyes darkened as she surveyed the rest of Chelsea. Her porcelain skin, her curvacious yet slender figure, her chocolate brown eyes and perfect heart shaped face framed by a flaming curtain of hair that was the envy of any woman. The words Chelsea had been going to speak seemed stuck in her throat as she noticed the look she was recieving from her bset friend. Raven's coffee coloured skin seemed to be inviting Chelsea for a closer look, her lips begging to unite with her own. She had hoped something like this would happen at this party, her feelings towards Raven had changed over the past few months, she had always loved her friend dearly now she appeared to be in love with her. Unable to speak, She simply moved her head towards Raven and their lips met in a perfect kiss, lips under pressure, tongues wrestling. It was a passionate, highly charged kiss...one that was repeated many times over the coming months as Raven and Chelsea adapted to being a couple, something that brought them more joy then anything ever had_.


	2. Chapter 2

Would she be there? Chelsea bit her lip in anticipation, she didn't know what to expect. She wanted her there. Of course she did, it was all she'd thought about for seven long years, their reunion. What if she wasn't there? What then? She couldn't bring herself to think about it, she leant back in the aeroplane seat and tried not to think about it.

* * *

They split up. Most young couples seem to, although Chelsea and Raven were no average couple, they had known each other all their lives so it was all the more devastating, to them and their families who, although having a few minor issues in the beginning, were 100 supportive of them.

_It was that day they were shopping in the city that had done it. It seemed like such an average day, the two of them out, shopping, eating, having a great time. Just being them.  
Then, they were queuing outside an icecream store when Raven suddenly grabbed hold of Chelsea and kissed her, an intense and obvious kiss that had none of the intimacy and tenderness Chelsea had come to expect from her girlfriend. Too much tongue, too much groping, hell Raven was practically grinding her right there in the street. Chelsea was thoughroughly confused, they never did that. When Raven finally let her up for air she glanced around and saw the cause for the kiss. An elderly couple stood staring at the two of them as though they were lepers, clearly not okay with a same sex relationship. She felt anger bubble through her, she felt Raven's hand slide up her inner thigh, it made her feel cheap and dirty. Raven was using her to shock the old couple! Never before had she felt such anger towards her best friend and love of her life. Without a word of explanation she marched off, back towards the bushelter, leaving both Raven and the elderly couple thoroughly confused._

_Later that night, Chelsea was sitting on the couch, eating a tub of Hagen Daaz while staring at some programme on the Tv, she wasn't taking it in. How could Raven do that to her? She had thought that their relationship had meant the world to Raven. It had meant the world to her, now she just felt like Raven wanted to use her as an exhibition.  
"Look at me LA, i'm a lesbian!" and that just didn't sit well with Chelsea._

_A soft rap on her apartment door suddenly grabbed her attention. She turned her head, she knew who it was. Raven, her knock. Three soft taps before she slid open the door and..._

_"Hey Chels"_

_...greeted her_

_"What do you want?" Her tone left nothing to the imagination. Chelsea Daniels was well and truly pissed off._

_Raven shuffled sheepishly into the familiar apartment, she knew she was in trouble although she hadn't a clue what she had done wrong. She'd gone home to try and figure it out but found she was unsuccessful so she had decided to come and ask Chelsea what exactly had gone on between them._

_Chelsea turned her head back to the tv, Raven walked over and sat down next to her._

_"Did I say you could sit down?" The redhead snapped, Raven was taken aback, Chelsea was usually so easygoing._

_"Have I done something wrong baby?" She asked stupidly. It was more then Chelsea could take, she saw her girlfriend sitting there with a look of concern on her face and she felt...hatred. How dare she? How dare she sit there and ask whether she'd done something wrong? She had no idea. No idea how she had made her feel._

_She stood up, shaking with rage._

_"Yeah. Yeah you have Raven. You know what you've done?" her voice was worryingly calm. Raven paled, she knew Chelsea was about to explode._

_"y-yeah?"_

_"YOU MADE ME FEEL LIKE SHIT RAVEN. YOU MADE ME FEEL FUCKING WORTHLESS, THE WAY YOU TREATED ME TODAY. Y-YOU YOU BITCH."_

_She burst into tears, floods and floods of salty beads tore down her waxen cheeks._

_"Whats the big deal Chelsea? All I did was kiss you!"_

_"YOU WERE SHOWING OFF! USING ME TO PISS OFF THAT WOMAN. USING ME RAE! You s-swore you'd never do that." She broke down._

_"I'm sorry, i'm so sorry babe. I didn't mean to-"_

_"Get out." Her voice was flat. "Get out and don't bother coming back."_

_"'til when? What...whats going on?" Raven was confused_

_"I'm breaking up with you Raven. This is it. We're over, I need respect and today you showed me that you don't respect me at all."_

_"it's just a fight, we'll get through this" Raven was crying now._

_"No! No, get out Rave. Thanks for the good times. Now leave, please. Don't make a scene."_

_Raven, realising she would get no sense from Chelsea for the time being walked towards the door. She stopped before leaving and turned to face her ex._

_"I love you," She spoke quietly "I will always love you."_

_Then she was gone._

_Chelsea cried herself to sleep._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- right, I know the story is a bit strange but i've had the idea for a while. New character Bradley Spencer, picture him as Zac Efron from High school musical. Thanks for all your comments! Keep them coming please!**

* * *

She'd been waiting for over thirty minutes, Chelsea would be walking through that arrivals gate any second now.She could feel her heart beating in her ears. She glanced around at the other people waiting with her and wondered briefly who they were and why they were waiting. A fat, florrid man to her right caught her eye, he winked and leered at her. Repulsed, she turned from him and stared instead at the arrivals board. Flight 32 from LA to London, Her flight, she read further along, delayed. She groaned inwardly, she didn't think she could stand it any longer...all she wanted was Chelsea, to see her face, hear her voice, hold her in her arms once more.

* * *

She'd tried and tried to change Chelsea's mind. They were too good together, far too good to split up over something as ridiculous as Raven kissing her in front of an old couple. Raven had no concept of the hurt she'd put Chelsea through, to her, it wasn't a big deal- yeah, so she'd got a slight kick out of shocking some old bag, to Chelsea it meant the world. SHe felt used and dirty, she couldn't even look at Raven. Thank God they'd left college and wouldn't have to see each other every day...They each had their own apartments, small and rent controlled obviously but separate nonetheless. Chelsea had always been badgering Raven to move in with her, something that was always laughed off. _"Honey, we've just spent four years living together- we need our own space while we can still afford it"_ Chelsea had always been put out by these proclaimations but understood where her girlfriend was coming from. Now however, she had to re-evaluate, had she really never been more to Raven then a cheap "experimental fling"? Something to keep her occupied during her college years? Had she been lying when she expressed her love? Was it all just words? Chelsea had been driving herself mad asking the same questions over and over again. She'd needed to get away, far away. On a whim, which was easy enough for her to do since she was an unemployed post-grad, she'd taken a courier flight to England, to a city she'd never heard of before, Leicester. She hadn't the money to fly properly, so had decided to opt for carrying a package an idea she'd gotten from the film "Eurotrip"- one of Eddie's favourites.

Raven had decided to give Chelsea some space, she'd come round- she just had to! Raven didn't know who she was without Chelsea, they belonged together- everybody said so! All she needed was a bit of time to calm down and then they'd be okay again. After a week, after hiding her cell so she wasn't tempted to ring or text her, Raven headed round to Chelsea's apartment, armed with a bouquet of daisies, Chelsea's favourite flower. She tapped lightly on the door, her knock. Only this time, the door was pulled open and in front of her stood Bradley Spencer, Chelsea's landlord.

"Err...Hey, Bradley!" She was confused, why was Bradley here- he rarely ever came to his apartment block.

Bradley smiled at her, he was unmistakably handsome; chisled features, dark, floppy hair that always fell just right, he had intensly blue eyes that had a way of looking at you as though they were looking straight down into your soul. He was young, just twenty-nine, but owned a lot of properties around the city, he was a hard worker and had clawed his way to the top from humble beginings.

"Hey yourself. Looking for Chelsea?" He cocked his head to one side appealingly.

"As a matter of fact I was, seen her?"

Bradley frowned "She didn't tell you? She's moved. Moved to England"

Raven felt as though somebody had punched her in the stomach she wilted as visibly as the daisies. Chelsea had moved? Moved, moved? All the way to England? Why would she do that?

"M-moved?" Her voice came out as a whisper.

Bradley suddenly pulled the door open wide, inviting Raven in. In her dazed state she followed him and as he gently took hold of her arm, she allowed herself to be led towards the sofa.

"Can I get you a drink?" He asked her in concern

She shook her head. So that was it, they really were over? It was strange being in Chelsea's apartment, she didn't want to remember what had happened the last time she was here, just a week ago.

Bradley sat down next to her, she didn't see him do it, but felt the cushions move to accomodate his weight.

"When, when did she.."

"She rang me a week ago, said she'd got a flight out to some city called...I don't know what...she said she knew it was cheeky of her but she'd like to hand in her notice regarding the apartment. I was fine about it actually, means I can flog it to someone else...probably charge more for it."

As the man next to her rambled on, Raven's head was spinning trying to take in this new information. Where was Chelsea getting the money to do this? SHe was unemployed, didn't even have an internship or anything. She missed her already, after just one week...how could they spend the rest of their lives apart?

She looked up at Bradley, he really was the worlds most attractive man.

"So, you and her...what's going on there? I thought you were..." He trailed off, noticing the way RAven was looking at him.

"Me and her? Nah, that ended ages ago. I decided I couldn't do the whole "dyke" thing anymore... I like guys too much." The words she used were offensive and she could feel herself inwardly wincing as she spoke them but she had to do something, CHelsea had pulled the plug on them and then ran off to England, Raven felt she needed to do something just as hurtful, although Chelsea would probably never know, or care.

She reached across to where Bradley's hand was and brushed her thumb along it. He stared at her intently then smiled.

"Into guys, huh?" He leant forward.

"Yeah, guys." She closed her eyes to recieve his kiss, settling back into the sofa. Ready to hurt Chelsea.


	4. Chapter 4

It was delayed, something about a thunderstorm below that was making the plane have to circle. She wasn't really listening. She was just thinking. Thinking and reading the letter over and over again until words lost all meaning. She had it clutched between her fingers. SHe was getting impatient now, the plane needed to land and soon! She had to know if Raven was there or not.

* * *

Moving to England was one of the best choices Chelsea Daniels ever made. She fitted in perfectly in the city she'd picked to live in, it was small, tiny compared to LA or any other US state she'd ever visited but in England it was something like the 8th biggest city. It was lovely. She rented a "flat" as they called them quite near the city centre, it was bright, modern and everything around her fascinated her. From her neighbours that popped in almost every day forcing her to drink WKD's and bottles of beer, to the newsagents just around the corner that sold practically everything known to man. Her neighbours, Ellie and Rachel and she grew very close over the months they lived next to each other, and remained friends until the present day. They were a couple, been together for years, RAchel was Ellie's elder sister's best friend and the two had hooked up after many years' secret longing. It was a sweet story and CHelsea loved hearing it, although she was reminded somewhat of herself and Raven, something she tried to push out of her mind because it was painful to think about. Much and all as she loved Leicester and England in general, it had done little to fill the immense emptiness she felt at losing Raven, she felt that it had been a mistake for the two of them to split up. There was nothing she could do now. Raven must know that she had moved out of the country and she didn't seem to care, she hadn't tried to get in touch or anything. The only time Chelsea heard anything about her was through her parents, who had remained close to Victor and Tonya Baxter despite their daughters' split, in their bi-weekly phone calls they usually had some snippet of new about her. Chelsea felt so lonely, despite Ellie and Rachel (and her other friends) attempts to get her involved with someone, she just wasn't interested. Sure, she dated, she slept with girls had a few short relationships but nothing and nobody could ever come close to the way she felt about Raven.

Seven years passed since they split. Seven long years. A lot had changed, for the both of them. Raven's career as a fashion designer took off and she was slowly but surely becoming recognised. Chelsea joined an animal rights protest group that quickly became her day job, she moved to London eventually and did all of the accounts for the group as well as being chief spokeswoman and protest organiser. She shared a flat with a permanently high "dude" named Spud. Well, he called himself Spud, but Chelsea happened to know his real name was Edward King. She was happy, she had a great group of friends, a nice place to live, a challenging and exciting job. She should have been on top of the world, she wasn't. There was still something missing. She knew what that something was.

That "something" was launching a new label in Oxford Street. Some store Chelsea could never afford to shop in had bought a whole summer line of "RaVeBaX" clothing and the woman herself was flying out to London to promote it. Suddenly, it was as if her whole life had been turned upside down. The woman, the love of her life, the one she had left for what now seemed like no good reason was going to be in her city. Seven years was a long time to be apart from someone.

She argued with herself for days about it. She talked it over time and again with her friends and colleagues. She rang Rachel, she even rang Eddie all the way over in LA.

"Hey Eddie."

"Chels? That you? Long time, no hear girl!"

"Don't exaggerate, I rang last week!" She grinned into the phone.

"Oh yeah. Hows things over in jolly ol' England?" His dodgy attempt at an English accent was embarrassing, she ignored it.

"Never better, how's LA?" She wasn't all that interested, she was more eager to discuss Raven.

"Same ol', Same ol'" Eddie paused "You wanna talk about Raven dontcha?"

She was taken aback by his uncanny ability to understand her reason for calling.

"Uhh...Wwell, kinda...I" She stammered, unnerved at being caught out.

Eddie laughed.

"Okay darlin' it's cool...whaddya wanna know?"

She breathed a sigh of relief, at least he was understanding.

"Well, Eddie I still love her. I know it's ridiculous after all this time...and I know that I left her and ran away to England-"

"Etcetera...look Chelsea, I knew you loved her back when we were teens and I know you love her now. I may act it but I aint stupid!"

"What am I gonna do?" She wailed

She could hear him breathing, thinking.

"Listen to me, I have a plan..."


	5. Chapter 5

It was now or never, Raven realised as she glanced at her watch for what seemed like the millionth time that minute. Chelsea would soon be rounding the corner. Judgement day.

Breathe in, breathe out Chelsea Daniels instructed herself as she rounded the corner. She was on London's world famous OXford street, already she could see the crowds of people all arriving to celebrate the launch of RaveBax clothing. Of course, they were all celebrities, designers, the creme de la creme of society. Ordinary folk like Chelsea weren't invited, unless of course you counted "invited" as being able to cram together behind a barrier to hurl soundbites of devotion at thier idols, or holding a big, black monster camera ready to snap the rich and famous in all their finery and flog it to magazines to feature in their "What's hot and What's not?!" articles.

Chelsea had explained all this to Eddie over the phone, but the Thomster- as he reffered to himself- had gatecrashed many a party and knew just what to do.

"Okay lady, you gotta get close. Real close. Then, try and find a nice back exit."

She knew it was dumb advice, the event was high on security, there was no way she'd be able to sneak in through any back exits. Still, it was worth a try and far better then any plan she'd managed to conjure. She just had to see Raven again.

Creeping up to the crowd she found she was shunted around like a ragdoll. Man were people pushy when they wanted to see a celeb, she thought grumpily as she tried to smooth down her hair after it had been ruffled by a large red faced woman in a tank top. Well, at least she found the crowd. Now to find a back door that would lead her inside the store. Aha. There it was! A fire escape type thing that was not only unguarded, but seemingly unnoticed by the rabble of people. It was almost as if fate itself had intervened. She crept towards it, careful not to draw any attention to herself. She reached a hand out slowly for the handle, grasping the cool, metal object beneath her fingers she felt a bubble of excitement.

Who'd have thought Eddie's plan would have worked? He was a complete geniu-

"'Ello, 'Ello, 'Ello. What 'av we 'ere?" An over the top cockney accent came from somewhere behind her.

Shit. She was busted. She turned her head to confront her plan-ruiner.

A policeman stood behind her, in full uniform. A half-smirk plastered across his oily face.

"Alright love?"

Chelsea decided to play the innocent card.

"Yes officer."

"What're you doin'?"

"Nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing. Looked like you were trying to open the door."

Chelsea was desperate.

"I was."

The policeman was slightly taken aback by Chelsea's honesty. "Oh. Might I ask why?"

She drew breath, she was running out of time.

"Well officer, the thing is...Raven Baxter is an ex-lover, well she's more then that actually, she's like a part of me. I broke it off with her seven years ago-almost to the day- and I recently realised that in doing so, i made the biggest mistake of my life. So I was kinda planning on sneaking into the opening and surprising her and telling her that I want, need, her back."

The policeman's eyebrows had furrowed at some point during her speech, his thin lips parted in a perfect "o".

"You do know i'm not actually a police officer right? This is all just fancy dress." Chelsea looked at the man more clearly, she could now see that he was wearing an old fashioned bobbies outfit, complete with truncheon.

If she had not been so relieved she would have punched the guy.

" What're ya waiting for? Go in there and get your girl!" He instructed and the flabbergasted Chelsea turned to the door and succeeded in getting through, so excited with herself she rushed forward into the new territory that was the party, she never heard the joker wish her luck.

The crowded room was full of bodies, famous ones, rich ones, publicity-type ones. Not the one she was looking for. Perhaps she hadn't yet arrived? No, Chelsea had heard the wild whoops and cheers of the crowd outside. Raven must be mingling, she always was a great mingler.

Chelsea circulated, feeling ridiculously underdressed and conspicuous. Although these particular feelings played second fiddle to the heart pounding nervousness and excitement she felt at the idea of seeing Raven again.

SHe thought back to Eddie's plan; "Once you're in you need to find her, if I know Raven- which I do, she'll be either chatting to the most influential person in the room or else stalking the hors d'ovoeurs."

How the hell was she supposed to tell which of the people wandering around were the most influential? They didn't wear signs! No, the snack food option was her best bet. She spied a waiter, dressed in a white shirt and black waistcoat (complete with cute little bowtie) with a near-empty tray. She followed him through the crowds, assuming he would be heading towards the kitchens to refill his tray. Raven might be hanging around there somewh-

"Chels?" A soft, confused voice from behind her. Chelsea turned slowly on the spot to face the voice, knowing full well who it was going to be, having to give herslef time to prepare for it.

Raven.

"Chelsea, is it really you?" The two women took a step towards each other, breath short, taking in every detail.

Chelsea couldn't speak, now that her moment had arrived her voice seemed to have disappeared completely. She nodded in response.

"What're you? How're you, I mean How've you...be- It's...it's great to see you."

The redhead simply smiled.

"It's great to see you too, I...i've missed you." Her voice was barely more then a whisper and Raven had to step forward for it to be heard over the mumbles of the crowd.

The designers face lit up with pleasure and surprise. "You have?"

Again, Chelsea nodded. She wished her heart would calm down a bit.

Suddenly, a little man wearing an azure blue Hawaiian shirt popped up as though from nowhere, he didn't look at Chelsea, he addressed Raven directly.

"Mzzzz Baxter, you're needed in five." He slurred his words.

"Okay Raife."

"Five, okay?" the man disapeared as quickly as he had arrived.

"Look, CHelsea. I've gotta go but, could we maybe meet up tomorrow night? Go for a drink someplace? There's some things that were never said."

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

"Great. You know Sherwins?" Chelsea nodded "Can you meet me there tomorrow, say around eight?"

"Sure. It's a date." It was a silly, offhand comment with a lot of meaning behind it.

"It is?"

"Isn't it?"

"It is." x 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- Hey guys thanks for all the reviews! They keep me writing :) sorry its taken so long to update, i'll be quicker next time. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

She'd be able to see in a few moments, able to see if everything she'd been hoping for for the past fortnight hadn't been in vain. If only this fat woman in front of her would move faster, maybe if somebody yelled "free cheeseburgers" she'd move like a cheetah, Chelsea mused. Lard-ass moved all of a sudden and Chelsea Daniels could see...could see...

* * *

She was late, Raven thought with a smile as she checked her watch for the thirty trillionth time that minute. Well thats how it seemed. She found it vaguely comforting that Chelsea was late, almost like nothing had changed...almost like they'd never broken up, like Chelsea had never moved to England, moved out of her life. A lot had changed though, in the seven years they'd been apart. They said that over a period of seven years, peoples entire personalities change. She hoped it wasn't true. A lot had changed, they had both become successful in their own ways. Chelsea was making a real difference to the world of animal rights, she herself had made a difference to the wardrobes of tonnes of women worldwide. They had changed in appearance too, She, Raven, had lost the weight of her teenage years and while she was no way a size zero (eww) she was a happy 12 in British sizes. Chelsea's short, sharp college hairstyle had given way to a more familiar long, flowing style. She wore less makeup, it suited her. She'd never needed to wear it in the first place, not with her perfect, porcelain complexion.

Maybe she'd got the wrong bar. Maybe Chelsea was sitting waiting for her in some other place. She checked her watch again. It read 8:12, no way was Chelsea going to be on time...she needn't worry just yet.

Right on cue, the door to the bar flew open...like a scene from an overly dramatic film, there stood Chelsea, hair flowing wildly in the wind her outfit framed by her aura. Raven watched as she scanned the bar, her malteaser brown eyes rested upon Ravens and they stared at each other for an age. Then Chelsea walked over, Raven took the time to examine her outfit, the fashion designer in her was always near the surface. Her black skinny jeans ruffled in all of the right places, namely at the ankles where they slid inside her black ankle boots. She wore a long sleeved, white, cotton jumper that hung perfectly over her amazon frame and completed the ensemble with a loose fitting purple cardigan and black scarf. Nice, Raven approved.

"Hey" Chelsea greeted her softly as she delicately perched herself on the seat opposite her ex.

"Hey yourself" Smiled Raven.

There was a brief silence, not uncomfortable, they each took each other in. Staring greedily as though they couldn't ever see enough of each other, but were shy about it.

Raven was first to break the silence.She always was.

"So, babe, how've you...y'know, been?"

The use of Ravens old endearment caused Chelsea to blush slightly, giving her an attractive rosy hue. Not unnoticed by Raven.

"I've been fine. Great even, yeah. Great..."

This time the silence was uncomfortable.

Chelsea had to break it.

"And you...Miss Fashionista. How amazing?" Her grin was infectious, Raven caught the disease and they sat like a couple of cheshire cats for a few seconds.

The conversation that followed flowed like a waterfall, it was like old times. They caught up with all the news and chatted about everything from the state of politics to the sale on at Miss Selfridge.

After several hours, they sat in the same places wiping tears of mirth from their eyes when Raven started a grin, Chelsea joined in and eventually it developed into a long, hard, longing look. The heat in the air intensified a hundredfold, even the drunken bum falling off his barstool noticed.

"What happened to us?" Raven sighed. Chelsea's eyes filled with tears, she didn't bother turning her head to hide them, she'd never hidden anything from Raven. Least of all her tears. Raven reached forward and gently brushed away the droplet from Chelsea's cheek with her thumb. She then reached across, sitting so close that not even a passing fly could have squeezed between them.

The fashion designer stared deeply into the eyes of her companion, so many things had been left unsaid. Was this the time to say them? SHe inhaled before uttering the words that would be the hardest sentence she had ever said.

"Chelsea. I'm sorry, for everything. I never, ever wanted to hurt you. I swear that on my life, on...on Corey's life even. I'm sorry."

Upon hearing the words she had ached to hear for seven long years, Chelsea realised that Raven was not completely to blame. She had overreacted, badly and that had cost her the love of her life for far too long. She leant forward and pressed her lips lightly onto that of her ex's. Raven allowed Chelsea to kiss her, eyes closed in ecstasy. As she drew away, the redhead breathed; "I love you."

Raven blinked slowly and smiled; "I never stopped loving you."

They stared at eache other, again drinking in every minute detail.

Raven was the first to speak "so, are we back on?"

Chelsea's smile faded slightly. "Raven, i'm going away."

"Away?"

"I'm going to visit some friends in Paraguay for a fortnight. I leave in the morning, i'm sorry I didn't mention it sooner, I wasn't expecting anything to happen with us. Will you be here when I get back?"

Raven was rooting in her purse. She retrieved a small, pink, slightly bent envelope and handed it solemnly to a mildly confused Chelsea.

"Read this.No, no not now. Wait until you get home tonight."

Chelsea nodded and pocketed the envelope.

"It explains stuff." Raven shrugged.

They finished their drinks.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

Raven stirred along with the others around her, it seemed that the flight had landed and that the passengers were ready to come through the yellow tinted doors. SHe felt herself swell up with excitement and anticipation. SHe couldn't wait to see the face of her which she had loved, lost, loved and lost once more again. In her hands she played with the packet of gum she had brought along with her, gellatin free of course, she knew Chelsea would rather recieve something environmentally friendly then a bunch of "murdered" flowers. The doors swung and the ex-passengers piled through, there amongst the throng was Chelsea. She looked more beautiful then she had in all the years of Raven knowing her, clothes- as a designer she always noticed the clothes- so simple and elegantly stylish, face glowing with a gentle tan. She was radiant. They hadn't yet locked eyes, Raven could actually taste the anticipation, she was so excited. Then, the woman turned, Red locks bouncing around her angular fac, Brown eyes searching the crowd, looking to confirm that Raven was waiting for her. "Chels!" Called Raven eagerly. Their eyes met. It was magic.

* * *

Sitting on the plane as she travelled home from San Fransisco alone, Chelsea Daniels had an epiphany. Well, it was more of a realisation. She realised as she glanced right at the snoring, florrid middle-aged man who had been her companion for the last...God knows how many hours...and she realised that she never wanted to be alone ever again. She made a promise to herself that the next time she was on a plane, she would be with Raven, and they would be lovers.

Raven. The woman hadn't left her thoughts the entire time she had been away. Last night she had sat with her parents and they talked. Just, talked. About Chelsea, about her sexuality but mostly about how she felt about her former best friend.

"Without sounding cheesy, darling" Her father had said, placing a hand on her shoulder "You have to follow your heart. You can't help who you fall in love with, after all. I know i'll sleep more soundly at night knowing my baby is with somebody she has known her entire life...rather then a random stranger"

Her mother nodded in severe agreement.

Chelsea felt her hand reach into her carry-on bag of its own accord and stroke the worn paper that was encircling the words of her love. She hadn't yet opened it, she'd been waiting. She didn't know what she was waiting for...but she figured there would be some kind of sign. She was a huge believer in fate. At that exact moment, her sleeping seat mates iPod earphone fell out of his chunky ear. It was loud, she mused over how the man had managed to sleep with such a noise thumping into him. She suddenly focussed in on the particular song. Beyonce. Crazy in Love. Their song.It was the sign she had been waiting for. Without taking the time to wonder why such a man had Beyonce on his iPod, she snatched the envelope and held it, looking at the address and name on the front. She'd looked at the words so many times over the last few days that she was surprised they hadn't been sucked from the envelope into her eyes.

Slowly, lovingly, she slid a finger under the seal of the envelope and proceeded to remove the folded piece of paper. It was pink, typical Raven. Without looking, Chelsea knew that the colour of the ink on the page would compliment it perfectly. Sure enough, she allowed her eyes to take in the darker pink of the penned words. She took a deep breath, feeling that she would need to before reading such a potentially life changing letter.

_My Chelsea,_

_I sit here, alone in my hotel room, overlooking the city. It's beautiful, inspiring, truly breathtaking.  
Yet, when I look out of my window and I am presented with this sight, I feel nothing.  
Chels, I am numb. I am numb because I know that right here, right now you and I are both in this city and we are not together. How could anything be beautiful, inspiring or breathtaking in comparison to you? You are everything. I am grieving for the years that we lost, years that we could have been together as lovers, as best friends, as soul mates. I love you. Pure and simply. In seven years the love has not left my heart, I feel it in every pore of my body, in every breath. Can you forgive me for ruining everything? Can you love me?  
We've both grown and changed, but we are still us. Raven and Chelsea, Chelsea and Raven. Chrave. I'll be waiting for you at the airport when you arrive home. Give me your answer. If you don't want anything, then I will walk away and you can live your life in peace. However, if you feel in any way the same as me then I swear, we will live a very long, blissfully happy life together. As us._

_Awaiting your return, girl.  
All my love, always and forever, Raven x x x_

Chelsea wiped a tear from her eye and felt the love inside herself swell and intensify a hundredfold. That was the clincher, when she reached her destination...it was going to be the start of the rest of her life.

It couldn't come soon enough.

**A/N- Okay, I wanted chapter 7 to be special...ideally, i wanted what is going to be chapter 8 to be chapter 7, the reconcilliation chapter. Oh well, i've written too much. Oh and a harmless little plug here- I'm currently reading "Love conquers all" by the guy that introduced me to Chrave nation; Laughlovelive the story is well up to Triple L's usual standard and was the reason I decided to carry on with this story...so blame him ;) (I'm hoping now that i've plugged him a bit, he won't mind the fact that I nicked his idea for Chelsea and Raven's song...Crazy in love just fits, y'know?)**

**Anyway...reviews please guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N-These chapters just seem to be getting shorter and shorter don't they? Thanks for all the reviews so far, keep them coming cos they make me smile and give me ideas :) Loaded this chapter stupidly fast...haven't had time to edit so i'm apologising for any mistakes in advance!**

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They walked towards each other, almost in slow motion as though on an episode of Baywatch, smiles on their faces stretched to breaking point. Suddenly, it was like nobody else existed, just them in their own little world. The walk was longer then either had anticipated, they began to run. Others standing around waiting for their own loved ones found their attention had been grabbed by these two beautiful women hurtling towards each other. Those who had been on Chelsea's flight watched with muted smiles on their faces as the stunning redhead who had boarded so glumly was now doing a very accurate impression of a smile on legs.  
They met right in the middle, Chelsea jumped into Ravens outstretched arms and wrapped her long legs around her waist, hands clutching the fashion designer's face.

Raven's arms supported her lover, palms flat against her back. Out of sheer glee, Raven spun them around, Chelsea squealing like a six year old. When they stopped spinning, the moment they had been building up to ever since they met at Raven's launch party finally happened. Neither knew who initiated it, neither cared, all they knew was that suddenly, in the middle of this stuffy, crowded airport terminal they were leaning in, heads tilted, eyes open until the last possible second, brown eyes looking into brown eyes, moist lips slightly parted. They kissed, intensely, passionately. A far cry from the kisses of their youth, they no longer simply wanted each other, they needed each other, to function, to breathe. Raven was the first to pull away, her eyes glistening with joyful tears, she smiled when she saw that Chelsea mirrored her emotions.

Chelsea unwrapped her legs and Raven gently lowered her to the ground, although they still clung to each other as though they were lifelines.  
"You read it then?" Raven laughed, suddenly nervous.  
"I read it." Chelsea fell silent, as though she was thinking. "Rae, I want to tell you something, but I don't want to tell you here"  
The women suddenly became aware of the fact they were being stared at by a reasonably large crowd, not that the crowd seemed disaproving or anything, just...staring, invading their privacy. Of course, that could've been because Raven was a rather famous media personality but none the less, they began to feel like goldfish.  
"No problem!" Raven grinned, pulling out of their embrace and slipping her fingers through Chelsea's "I know this really adorable little park, we could go there"  
"Sure." Chelsea smiled, blushing.  
They left the airport terminal, Chelsea's luggage in hand, Raven marvelled at how she'd managed to travel so light- if she ever went anywhere she took several tonnes of luggage and a hefty amount of carry ons.

Neither spoke much, they were just happy to be in each others company once more...this was punctuated by the way they kept sighing and stealing sneaky little glances at each other. The park Raven was leading them to was, as she'd described, adorable. Full of little kids eating icecreams, couples walking their dogs, students enjoying picnics and playing daft games of cricket or frisbee...Raven loved it, it was all so quaint and English.  
"Wow Rae, you were right...it is adorable" Chelsea fell in love with the place on sight.  
"so're you." Came Raven's quiet reply, the first time either had said any such thing since being reunited, Chelsea turned to her and, smiling, pressed her lips on top of Ravens. "I just want to tell you...that everything you put in that letter, is the way I feel about you. You are my everything. I never want to be without you, I see myself living a long, happy life but i'm not interested in that unless you're with me. In short; I love you"  
Raven just looked at her and smiled, there was nothing more to be said. However, there was one more thing to be done.  
"Look" Her voice was husky "I know we just got here but...wanna come back to my place"  
Chelsea grinned.  
"I thought you'd never ask!"

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**A/N-Now review away!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- Okay, so this is the final chapter. Funnily enough, its the shortest and it was the most difficult to write. Hope you've enjoyed reading this story though...it was first :) well, the first i've actually managed to finish lol. **

**Don't forget though, check out my profile and take part in my poll!! I need new ideas, I have a lot of my own but I always welcome challenges and inspiration! Hmm...I sound a bit like an English teacher now so i'll let you get on and read;**

They crashed through the front door, neither paying attention as they were far too busy kissing the other, they had been like that practically since leaving the park, definately when in the cab- giving the florrid driver a show he would not soon forget.

It was Raven's place they were at, exactly the kind of home you would expect a young, hot fashion designer to have. Chelsea didn't have eyes for anybody aside from the hazel eyed beauty her lips were attached to, but had she had a chance to look around, she would have smiled to herself, proud that she could have picked this apartment out of a line up and identified it as Ravens' without ever having seen it. The lounge was large and spacious, it spread out towards enormous bay windows that led out onto a pot plant infested balcony. The room itself was part brickwork with real wood floors, giving it a hard, practical edge but then it blended to perfection with the luxurious, velvet purple wall print and large contemporary sofas. There seemed to be a theme of hard-meets-soft throughout the apartment- which reflected Raven to perfection.

Chelsea dropped her bag down, not caring to see where it landed, and allowed herself to be led into Ravens' bedroom. Her lover never broke eye contact with her as she drew her in and sat her down on her red velvet covered king sized bed.They held hands.  
Suddenly nervous, Chelsea spouted the first thing that popped into her head;  
"S'nice in here...it's very, very you"  
Raven smiled at her and nodded, then leant forward and kissed her jawline, but Chelsea tensed up.  
"What's wrong?" She moved back, concerned. "Do you not want to do this anymore"  
Chelsea couldn't hold it in anymore, she burst into tears. Horrified, Raven ensconed her in her arms and kissed her hair. Chelsea tried to speak through her sobs, all Raven managed to decipher was her whispered declaration; "I'm scared."

Raven, still with her arms around her, leant Chelsea back slightly, so they were eye-to-eye.  
"Chels, Chels- Hey, Chels! It's okay...I'm scared too! We won't do anything you don't want to do"  
The redhead stopped crying.  
"Rae, I love you"  
"I love you too." "I want this"  
"I want this too."

With Chelsea's nodded permission, Raven leant forward, tentatively and kissed the love of her life. Chelsea kissed her back, it was different, yet again. Soft, tender, sweet kisses that started on Chelsea's mouth but travelled down along her strong, porcelain jawline and down her neck. Raven spent extra long kissing her pulse points, meanwhile her hands gently caressed, moving up as her lips moved down until they met along Chelsea's abdomen and switched ends. The dark haired beauty allowed her hands to roam up and cup Chelsea's breasts, no longer covered by her shirt which had been hastily shed a few moments previous. Raven glanced up and met Chelsea's gaze, she needed more then nodded permission this time. She needed to hear Chelsea actually say the words.

"Raven, make love to me?" She whispered.  
"Anything for you"  
"Then Rae"  
"yes"  
"Grow old with me"  
"Anything for you."

They spent the rest of the night in each others arms, it was magic, their spark had ignited something far bigger and more powerful. As they lay holding each other in the early hours of the morning, they knew that this was where they wanted to be for the rest of time.

**A/N- So that's it. Finito. Hope you've enjoyed it...now, make me smile and give me one. A review, I mean.**


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